PaperKlay Review
PaperKlay is a throwback 3D collectathon with a papercraft twist.
PaperKlay. WhyKev
PaperKlay is a 3D platformer developed and self-published by indie creator WhyKev. The game is clearly inspired by collectathon games of the Nintendo64 era, and brings Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie to mind, in particular. The game is set in handcrafted worlds of paper, cardboard, and clay, which players explore using double‑jumps, dashes, and glides, solving puzzles and platforming challenges to open up new areas.
PaperKlay. WhyKev
You play as Chick, a chicken, alongside partner Nugget, who rides in Chick’s pack. When a fox pirate steals all the eggs in Chick’s town, Chick and Nugget give chase, following the trail of eggs the pirate left in his wake. Along the way, you meet quirky NPCs in the varied worlds of the game, portrayed with particularly excellent voice acting. The plot is simple, mainly existing to support the game’s collection mechanics and give its world a whimsical charm.
PaperKlay delivers classic collectathon gameplay—search for and collect items in each level to unlock future levels. Players run, jump, dash, and glide, using tried-and-true 3D mascot platformer mechanics. Movement doesn’t feel particularly great; it feels like the animations and physics could use a little tweaking. The more interesting part is the level design. Platforms fold and unfold themselves. You might make a new area bounce up like a pop-up book in the distance, or rotate entire sections of a level to reach your goals. It adds great depth and makes some levels intricate puzzles to solve. In some brief levels, you play as Nugget, who can’t jump, in rotating worlds with gameplay that reminded me of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
PaperKlay. WhyKev
The game features a handcrafted visual aesthetic that feels tactile and warm, with a world built from textured cardboard, layered paper, and sculpted clay. It’s not quite as successful with the style as some other games that have used it, but it's still pleasant to behold, especially when it plays into the game’s mechanics. PaperKlay isn’t graphically demanding and performed well on my Steam Deck.
PaperKlay. WhyKev
PaperKlay successfully evokes the feeling of classic N64 collectathons. While the movement physics don’t feel quite right, the level designs make the game a clever, fun platformer that’s compelling to explore. It also doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in around 5 hours if you’re not a completionist.
PaperKlay is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 7/10
Played on: Steam Deck
